In a major acquisition out of the Cannes market, Sony Pictures Classics has secured the North American and international distribution rights to Walter Salles‘ highly anticipated narrative feature ‘I’m Still Here.’ The deal marks the celebrated Brazilian filmmaker’s first fiction film in over a decade and a reunion with his ‘Central Station’ star Fernanda Montenegro.
‘I’m Still Here’ is based on the powerful true story of Eunice Paiva, a mother of five forced into activism after her husband, a leftist congressman, is captured and disappears under Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1960s. The emotional drama reunites Salles with Montenegro, who earned an Oscar nomination for ‘Central Station,’ and her daughter Fernanda Torres.
For Salles, whose acclaimed works include ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ and the ‘Dark Water’ remake, bringing Paiva’s story to the screen has been a deeply personal journey spanning years. As a teenager in Brazil, he witnessed the Paiva family’s ordeal firsthand as their friend.
“One day, the unexpected happened when the father was taken to the military headquarters for an interrogation. No one in that moment knew that was the last time they would see him again,” Salles reflected in a previous interview. “This coincided with a moment of this Brazilian totalitarian regime, where things started to become extremely violent, and where there was censorship and torture.”
Written by ‘Invisible Life’ scribe Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, ‘I’m Still Here’ charts Eunice Paiva’s transformation from a devoted wife and mother into a relentless activist, documenting her husband’s disappearance before the grip of Alzheimer’s sets in.
The film reunites Salles with Sony Classics, who previously released his acclaimed ‘Central Station’ in 1998. That film won the Golden Bear at Berlin and earned a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.
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While remaining relatively under the radar at Cannes, ‘I’m Still Here’ has generated significant buzz among arthouse buyers and is expected to make a prestigious fall festival run.
In addition to North America, the Sony Classics deal covers distribution in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand.
As Salles makes his long-awaited return to narrative features, ‘I’m Still Here’ promises a poignant and timely exploration of resistance, motherhood, and the enduring strength of human spirit in the face of oppression.
